Governors Business Interests

Pen Portraits

David Morgan
I am married with 2 children and 4 grandchildren who are aged from 7 – 14. I have been a Governor for 10 years and Chair of Governors for 7 of those years. I was born in Stoke-on-Trent and apart from 3 years in Worcester have taught in either Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire.My teaching career began at Moorside High School and then I moved to Worcester where I taught French and Physical Education. I returned to the area to become Head of French at Biddulph High School and moved on to a City High School to become Head of Modern Languages teaching French and German.
I wanted Sixth Form experience and became Head of Modern Languages at an 11-18 High School in Stafford. After 4 years I was appointed Deputy Headteacher at St John Fisher High School in Newcastle where I worked for 21 years as Head of Sixth Form and had responsibility for the curriculum and the timetable. Upon retirement I became Head of Critical Thinking at Newcastle College for five years. I was also responsible for the Gifted and Talented programme in the Newcastle area.
I am currently a member of the Diocesan Board of Education and am also on the Barchester Committee which deals with the property and financial aspects of the diocesan schools.
I have been and am a keen sportsperson, playing league cricket in the North Staffs and South Cheshire league for many years. I also played local rugby and keep active by attending the gym regularly and playing golf.
At Stoke Minster, apart from being the Chairperson, I am also Link Governor for Christian Distinctiveness and Safeguarding issues.

I really enjoy the challenge of working in such a delightful, friendly and caring school, in which all the staff are hard-working and very committed to the welfare of the children.

Carol Barber

Before becoming a LAC member, I taught in Stoke since 1988. I started at Boothen C.E.(VA) Primary School and transferred to Stoke Minster (then Bishop Stamer) when both schools amalgamated. Over the years, I have always found the school and community to be a friendly and welcoming place. I was in the area for so long that I often find that I know the parents of current pupils as I taught them as previous pupils in the past.
Prior to becoming a teacher, I studied for a degree in Pathobiology, with subsidiary Chemistry, at Reading University, staying in Reading to gain my Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). I then taught for 3 years in Hampshire before returning to my hometown.

During my teaching career, my main experience was teaching in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. I have had subject responsibility for Design Technology, Science and Maths and as a senior leader was responsible for many years for assessment and other aspects of teaching and learning. I became Assistant Head in 2008 and then Deputy Head in 2013. This experience comes in very useful as I am currently link governor for maths, EYFS and assessment.

Since retiring in August 2017, I have had more time to enjoy pastimes, such as, cooking, reading and exploring other countries on holiday. I also now find time to keep fit by walking and attending classes at the gym. Most of all, I like to catch up with friends and collegues for coffee or lunch. I love being a Local Academy Member as Stoke Minster will always have a special place in my heart and I will do my best to support the staff, children and parents of the school.

Rev.Bill Durose

I was born in Abbey Hulton in 1954. I moved to Stoke in 1978 and I still live there now with my wife of 41 years Carole. I left school at 15 with no qualifications and I have always worked in the area. I now work at Sainsbury's in Stoke town centre. I have a foundation degree in Business Management and a degree in Theology. I got both of these degrees very much later in my life, something I am very proud of. I was ordained in 2013 and I am a member of the Stoke Minster ministry team.

I have been a governor of the school for more than 29 years and my passion for the school is as high now as it was when I first became a Governor. I have held various positions on the governing body, even a couple of spells as chair. Currently , I am link governor for inclusion and safeguarding.

Adele McKie

From an early age I knew that I wanted to be a teacher so I trained and received a B Ed in 1984. My degree was in History and RE. I initially worked in Yorkshire at a large First School for three years until getting married when I moved to Stoke . I have been teaching at Stoke Minster C of E Primary School ( formerly St Peters C of E Primary and then Bishop Stamer )since 1988. I have seen many generations of the same families at the school over these years. I have always found Stoke to be a very friendly place and have enjoyed working here.
During my teaching career, I have taught in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. I have had subject responsibility for R.E, History and English. I have been a Senior Leader for many years and as such I have had a responsibility for teaching and learning of other classes as well as my own. I am presently the Deputy Head and English Lead within school.
I became a School Governor in 2008. I have enjoyed working with so many committed people who genuinely care about the children in our school. The Governors work with the Head teacher to ensure that the children at our school are happy and are making good progress. .

Lynne Willis

Originally from Birmingham, I moved to Stoke-on-Trent to study back in 1983 and fell in love with the generous spirit of the people within our city. Needless to say, I stayed. I have worked in both Staffordshire and Stoke schools during my 26 year teaching career and have been a Headteacher now for 10 years.
I have been the Head of our school since 2008 and feel very privileged to work with such committed and excellent staff. I am completely committed to life-long-learning and in 2010 achieved one of my many goals by receiving my Masters in Educational Leadership, with a distinction, from Brian May (THE Brian May from Queen – it was amazing!) at Liverpool John Moores University. I still aim to reach my ultimate goal of achieving a PhD by the time I am 65 (only 13 more years to go so I must get a move on).
I became a Christian when I was 24 and my faith remains hugely important to me which is why I chose to lead a Church of England School. I find the values of love, tolerance and respect for all are the driving force in both my personal and professional life. I appreciate that we are not perfect (I am far from it) but I believe we are here to form relationships, make connections and support each other to be the best that we can be.
It is my hope that I am able to continue to serve the children and families of our community for a long time to come.

Usra Shah

I started working at Stoke Minster primary school in 2012-2014 as a volunteer whilst doing my STLS level 2 and level 3 course in childcare. I started working as a Inclusion Support Assistant in 2014 till date. During my 4 years at this school I admired the school's driven force of love, tolerance and respect for all.

As a parent of 2 children in this school I know how important it is for a school - parent relationship. Bearing this in mind I joined the governing board in 2015 as a governing associate to gain a more in depth knowledge in to the school and I am also the link governer for ICT.

Dr Rekha Patel

I was educated in Madras at the Good Shepherd Convent School,which was followed by Medical School and I arrived in the UK in 1971.

I was married in the UK and I have one son and one grandson. They live in Canada. My husband is a retired consultant in geriatric medicine.

My postgraduate training in the UK started in Kidderminster. I later became a Senior Registrar in Birmingham and my final career move was at New Cross Hospital Wolverhampton as Consultant Anaesthetist. I was College Tutor for the Royal College of Anaesthesia for 5 years and Clinical Director for the Department of Anaesthesia for 3 years.

On retirement, I worked for the Department of Justice as a doctor on the Health Appeal Tribunals and for the last 8 years have been a magistrate.

I have involved myself in charity work which included procuring and delivering medicines and equipment to Krakow in Poland and helping with eye camps in India.

I have enjoyed my time with the children of Stoke Minster helping them to read and I look forward to extending in the school my involvement as a governor.

Qualifications.

MBBS [Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Science]

DA [Diploma in Anaesthetics]

FFARCS [Fellow of the Faculty of the Royal College of Anaesthetists]

Graham Hutton

I am married with 2 children and moved to Staffordshire in 2015. I was brought up in south Manchester but have always loved South Cheshire/North Staffs as a region and decided after 30 years living in London that this is where I want to live. I have been a Civil Servant and Management Consultant for the last 30 years. I was a school governor at a large comprehensive school in Surrey for 8 years, 7 of which I was Chair of Finance. I was also a co-opted member of Surrey Education Committee.

I am passionate about life-long learning and practice what I preach. I believe that education and qualifications are the only sure way forward if you want to progress in life. My MBA is from Cass Business School (1996) and I have other qualifications in Mediation (2013) and Mentoring of small businesses (2014). My wife is a teacher and one of my sons is also a teacher.

My main focus in the school will be the business aspects so I am on the Finance Link Governor. I am delighted to be supporting the school and will be a participative governor so pupils, parents and staff can expect to see me at most of the school events, listening to children read, working with the School Business Manager and other staff as well as the other volunteer Governors.I have recently taken on the role of link governor for Raising aspirations and GDPR link governor.